Totalizing system



Nov. 14, 1933. A. J. JOHNSTON 1,935,450.

TOTALIZ ING SYSTEM Filed Dec. 5, 1930 Inventor: Arthur J Johnston,

H is Attorney.

Patented Nov. 14 1 933 PATENT- TOTALIZING SYSTEM Arthur J. .lohnston,

Aidan,

Pa, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application December 5,

1930, Serial No. 5003M,

and in Great Britain December 11,1929

3 Claims.

My invention relates to systems for totalizing a number of electric impulses.

in such systems for the electric totalization of impulses corresponding to the issue of tickets 5 or the like of various denominations, use has been made of rotary switches, the movable arms of which have been moved successively from one contact to another on the receipt of an impulse corresponding to the issue of a ticket of a given m denomination. When a number of ticketsof that denomination have been issued, theitotal value of which corresponds in value to aticket of the next higher denomination, it is then necessary to transmit an impulse to a collector for the im- 3 5 pulses corresponding to the issue of tickets of that higher denomination. Where a large number of tickets of low denomination are being issued it is required to run several rotary switches in order to collect the impulses transmitted. if these ro- Eil tary switches are connected in parallel there is always the possibility that two of them will sithe impulses collecting circuits of the lower denominational tickets.

The object of the invention is to provide a cir cult arrangement which will avoid this dlsedvanas tage.

My invention will be'better understood from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which diagrammatically illustrates a portion of a totalizing system embodying my invention and its scopewill be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, 10 and ii represent two rotary switches, the movable contacts of which are respectively arranged to be independently driven from one stationary contact to the next in response to the receipt of difierent elec= trio impulses each representing a predetermined value. in order to simplify the disclosure, 1 have merely shown single bank switches having ten stationary contacts, but in actual practice mul tiple bank switches of any desired number of contacts may be employed. Also I have merely shown manually controlled switches 12 and 13 for respectively opening and closing the circuits of the v stepping magnets 14 and15 of the switches 10 and 11 in order to transmit impulses thereto. Any other suitable means, examples of which are well known in the art, may be employed for transmitting impulses to the stepping magnets is and 15.

I connect the stationary contacts of the switches 10 and 11 so that whenever the total number of impulses received by the two switches equals a predetermined value, an impulse is transmitted to another totalizing device which, in the particular arrangement shown in the drawing, is an automatic counter 16 which has an actuating coil l7. Any other suitable totalizing means, examples of which are well known in the art, may be'provided in place of the counter 16.

In the particular arrangement shown the contacts of the switches 10 and ll are interconnected so as to transmit an impulse to the counter 16 in response to each ten impulses received by the two switches 10 and 11. This result is accomplished by connecting the movable contacts of the switches 10 and 11 in series with the actuating coil 17 of the counter 6 and by interconnecting the contacts of the switches 10 and ii so that the contacts. 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, '7, 8 and 9 of each switch are respectively connected to the contacts 9, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 of the other switches. In this manner, the circuit of the-actuating coil 17 is completed every time ten impulses are received by the two switches 10 and 11. Furthermore, the maximum number of impulses that can be stored in the system is nine whereas in the prior arrangements employing separate switches with their stationery "ill contacts not interconnected the maximum m:

her is 18.

In order that the actuating coil 17 may be energized for a sufficient length of time to actuate the counter 16 when the two switches 10 and 11 are simultaneously operated after nine impulses have been received by the two switches, Iv construct the movable contacts of the two switches 10 and 11 so that they are of sufficient width to bridge two adjacent cooperating stationary contacts. In this manner the circuit of the actuating coil 1'1 is closed for a sumcient length of time to efiect the operation of the counter 16. For example, assume that the two switches lo and 11 have received nine impulses so that the movable contact of the switch ill is in engagement with the cooperating stationary contacts 3 and 4 and the switch 11 has received five impulses so that the movable contact thereof is in engagement 'with its cooperating contacts 4 and 5 and that the control switches 12 and 13 are simultaneously closed and opened to transmit impulses to the stepping magnets 14 and 15 of the switches 10 and 11 respectively. The movable contact of the switch 10 is to be moved into engagement with its cooperating contacts 4 and 5 at the same time the movable contact of theswitch 11 is moved into engagement with its cooperating contacts 5 and 6. If the movable contacts were of the ordinary type, the movable contact of switch 10 would leave its cooperating contact 5 before the movable contact of the switch 11 engaged its cooperating contact 5 and, therefore, the circuit of the actuating coil 17 would not be completed to effect the operation of the counter 16 although a total of ten impulses had been received by the two switches. With the contacts constructed in accordance with my invention, however, a circuit is completed through the movable"con tacts oi the two switches and their respective contacts under the conditions mentioned above so that the actuating coil. 17 is energized for a sufiicient length oi time to effect the operation 'oz. the counter 16 to its next position.

While have, in. accordance with the patent statutes, shcwn and described my invention as applied to a particular system and as embodying various devices diagrammatically indicated, changes and modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art and I, therefore, aim in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall withinthe true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is,-

I. In combination, two electric switches each having a plurality of stationary contacts and a cooperating movable contact arranged to engage two adjacent stationary contacts simultaneously, means for transmitting impulses to each switch to move the movable contact thereof from one stationary contact to another and means including connections between the stationary contacts of said switches for transmitting another electric impulse representing a predetermined number of said first mentioned impulses whenever the total number of impulses received by both of said switches equals said predetermined number.

2. In combination, two electric switches each including a plurality of stationary contacts and a movable contact arranged to engage two adjacent stationary contacts simultaneously, actuat- 35 ing means associated with each switch for moving the movable contact thereof from. one stationary contact to the next contact, means for transmitting an electric impulse to the actuating means of a switch to effect the movement of the g0 movable contact thereof from one stationary contact to the next stationary contact and means including connections between the stationary contacts of said switches for transmitting an im pulse representing a predetermined number of actuating impulses whenever the total number of actuating impulses received by both switches equals said predetermined number.

3. In combination, two electric switches each having a pluralitycf stationary contacts and a 1m; movable contact of sufllcient width to engage simultaneously twoadjacent stationary contacts, means for transmitting electric impulses to each switch to move the movable contact thereof from one stationary contact to the next, an electric 1 5 circuit including said movable contacts in series and connections between the stationary contacts of said switches whereby said circuit is completed to transmit an electric impulse representing a predetermined number of impulses transmitted to said switches each time the total number of impulses received by said switches equals said predetermined number.

ARTHUR J. JOHNSTON. 

